第4章

CHAPTERIII

Themorningstar，large，intenselyblue—white，magnificentinitsdominanceoftheclearnightsky，hungoverthedim，darkvalleyramparts。Themoonhadgonedownandalltheotherstarswerewan，paleghosts。

PresentlythestrainedvacuumofJean’searsvibratedtoalowroarofmanyhoofs。Itcamefromtheopenvalley，alongtheslopetothesouth。Sheppactedasifhewantedthewordtorun。Jeanlaidahandonthedog。"Holdon，Shepp，"hewhispered。ThenhaulingonhisbootsandslippingintohiscoatJeantookhisrifleandstoleoutintotheopen。Sheppappearedtobewelltrained，foritwasevidentthathehadastrongnaturaltendencytorunoffandhuntforwhateverhadrousedhim。Jeanthoughtitmorethanlikelythatthedogscentedananimalofsomekind。IfthereweremenprowlingaroundtheranchShepp，mighthavebeenjustasvigilant，butitseemedtoJeanthatthedogwouldhaveshownlesseagernesstoleavehim，ornoneatall。

InthestillnessofthemorningittookJeanamomenttolocatethedirectionofthewind，whichwasverylightandcomingfromthesouth。

Infactthatlittlebreezehadbornethelowroaroftramplinghoofs。

Jeancircledtheranchhousetotherightandkeptalongtheslopeattheedgeofthecedars。Itstruckhimsuddenlyhowwellfittedhewasforworkofthissort。Alltheworkhehadeverdone，exceptforhisfewyearsinschool，hadbeenintheopen。Alltheleisurehehadeverbeenabletoobtainhadbeengiventohisrulingpassionforhuntingandfishing。LoveofthewildhadbeenborninJean。Atthismomentheexperiencedagrimassuranceofwhathisinstinctandhistrainingmightaccomplishifdirectedtoasternanddaringend。Perhapshisfatherunderstoodthis;perhapstheoldTexanhadsomelittlereasonforhisconfidence。

EveryfewpacesJeanhaltedtolisten。Allobjects，ofcourse，wereindistinguishableinthedark—grayobscurity，exceptwhenhecamecloseuponthem。Sheppshowedanincreasingeagernesstoboltoutintothevoid。WhenJeanhadtraveledhalfamilefromthehouseheheardascatteredtramplingofcattleontherun，andfartheroutalowstrangledbawlofacalf。"Ahuh！"mutteredJean。"Cougarorsomevarmintpulleddownthatcalf。"Thenhedischargedhisrifleintheairandyelledwithallhismight。ItwasnecessarythentoyellagaintoholdSheppback。

ThereuponJeansetforthdownthevalley，andtrampedoutandacrossandaround，asmuchtoscareawaywhateverhadbeenafterthestockastolookforthewoundedcalf。Morethanonceheheardcattlemovingawayaheadofhim，buthecouldnotseethem。JeanletSheppgo，hopingthedogwouldstrikeatrail。ButSheppneithergavetonguenorcameback。Dawnbegantobreak，andinthegrowinglightJeansearchedarounduntilatlasthestumbledoveradeadcalf，lyinginalittlebarewashwherewaterraninwetseasons。Bigwolftracksshowedinthesoftearth。"Lofers，"saidJean，ashekneltandjustcoveredonetrackwithhisspreadhand。"WehadwolvesinOregon，butnotasbigasthese……Wonderwherethathalf—wolfdog，Shepp，went。Wonderifhecanbetrustedwherewolvesareconcerned。

I’llbetnot，ifthere’sashe—wolfrunnin’around。"

Jeanfoundtracksoftwowolves，andhetrailedthemoutofthewash，thenlosttheminthegrass。But，guidedbytheirdirection，hewentonandclimbedaslopetothecedarline，whereinthedustypatcheshefoundthetracksagain。"Notscaredmuch，"hemuttered，ashenotedtheslowtrottingtracks。"Well，youoldgraylofers，we’regoin’toclash。"Jeanknewfrommanyafutilehuntthatwolveswerethewariestandmostintelligentofwildanimalsinthequest。Fromthetopofalowfoothillhewatchedthesunrise;andthennolongerwonderedwhyhisfatherwaxedeloquentoverthebeautyandlocationandluxurianceofthisgrassyvalley。Butitwaslargeenoughtomakerichagoodmanyranchers。Jeantriedtorestrainanycuriosityastohisfather’sdealingsinGrassValleyuntilthesituationhadbeenmadeclear。

Moreover，Jeanwantedtolovethiswonderfulcountry。Hewantedtobefreetorideandhuntandroamtohisheart’scontent;andthereforehedreadedhearinghisfather’sclaims。ButJeanthrewoffforebodings。

Nothingeverturnedoutsobadlyasitpresaged。Hewouldthinkthebestuntilcertainoftheworst。Themorningwasgloriouslybright，andalreadythefrostwasglisteningwetonthestones。GrassValleyshonelikeburnishedsilverdottedwithinnumerableblackspots。

Burroswerebrayingtheirdiscordantmessagestooneanother;thecoltswererompinginthefields;stallionswerewhistling;cowswerebawling。Acloudofbluesmokehunglowovertheranchhouse，slowlywaftingawayonthewind。Faroutinthevalleyadarkgroupofhorsemenwereridingtowardthevillage。Jeanglancedthoughtfullyatthemandreflectedthatheseemeddestinedtoharborsuspicionofallmennewandstrangetohim。Abovethedistantvillagestoodthedarklygreenfoothillsleadinguptothecraggyslopes，andtheseendingintheRim，ared，black—fringedmountainfront，beautifulinthemorningsunlight，lonely，serene，andmysteriousagainstthelevelskyline。Mountains，ranges，distancesunknowntoJean，alwayscalledtohim——tocome，toseek，toexplore，tofind，butnowildhorizoneverbeforebeckonedtohimasthisone。Andthesubtlevagueemotionthathadgonetosleepwithhimlastnightawokenowhauntingly。

Ittookefforttodispelthedesiretothink，towonder。

Uponhisreturntothehouse，hewentaroundonthevalleyside，soastoseetheplacebylightofday。Hisfatherhadbuiltforpermanence;andevidentlytherehadbeenthreeconstructiveperiodsinthehistoryofthatlong，substantial，picturesqueloghouse。

Butfewnailsandlittlesawedlumberandnoglasshadbeenused。

Strongandskillfulhands，axesandacrosscutsaw，hadbeentheprimefactorsinerectingthishabitationoftheIsbels。

"Goodmawnin’，son，"calledacheeryvoicefromtheporch。"Shorewe—allheardyoushoot;an’thecrackofthatforty—fourwasaswelcomeasMayflowers。"

BillIsbellookedupfromataskoverasaddlegirthandinquiredpleasantlyifJeaneversleptofnights。GuyIsbellaughedandtherewaswarmregardinthegazehebentonJean。

"YouoldIndian！"hedrawled，slowly。"Didyougetabeadonanythin’？"

"No。IshottoscareawaywhatIfoundtobesomeofyourlofers，"

repliedJean。"Iheardthempullin’downacalf。An’Ifoundtracksoftwowhoppin’bigwolves。Ifoundthedeadcalf，too。Reckonthemeatcanbesaved。Dad，youmustlosealotofstockhere。"

"Wal，son，youshorehitthenailonthehaid，"repliedtherancher。

"Whatwithlionsan’bearsan’lofers——an’two—footedlofersofanotherbreed——I’velostfivethousanddollarsinstockthislastyear。"

"Dad！Youdon’tmeanit！"exclaimedJean，inastonishment。

Tohimthatsumrepresentedasmallfortune。

"Ishoredo，"answeredhisfather。

Jeanshookhisheadasifhecouldnotunderstandsuchanenormouslosswheretherewerekeenable—bodiedmenabout。"Butthat’sawful，dad。Howcouldithappen？Wherewereyourherdersan’cowboys？

An’Billan’Guy？"

BillIsbelshookavehementfistatJeanandretortedinearnest，havingmanifestlybeenhitinasorespot。"Wherewasmean’Guy，huh？Wal，myOregonbrother，wewasheah，allyear，sleepin’moreorlessabootthreehoursoutofeverytwenty—four——ridin’ourbootsoff——an’wecouldn’tkeepdownthatloss。"

"Jean，you—allhaveamightytumblecomin’toyououtheah，"

saidGuy，complacently。

"Listen，son，"spokeuptherancher。"Youwanttohavesomehunchesbeforeyoufigureonourtroubles。There’stwoorthreepacksoflofers，an’inwintertimetheyarehelltodealwith。Lionsthickasbees，an’shorebadwhenthesnow’son。Bearswillkillacownowan’then。An’wheneveran’oldsilvertipcomesmozyin’acrossfromtheMazatzalshekillsstock。I’minwithhalfadozencattlemen。

Weallworktogether，an’thewholeoutfitcain’tkeepthesevermintsdown。ThentwoyearsagotheHashKnifeGangcomeintotheTonto。"

"HashKnifeGang？Whataprettyname！"repliedJean。"Who’rethey？"

"Rustlers，son。An’shoretherealoldTexasbrand。TheoldLoneStarStategottoohotforthem，an’theyfollowedthetrailofalotofotherTexanswhoneededahealthierclimate。SometwohundredTexansaroundheah，Jean，an’maybeamatterofthreehundredinhabitantsintheTontoalltold，goodan’bad。Reckonit’saboothalfan’half。"

Acheerycallfromthekitcheninterruptedtheconversationofthemen。

"Youcometobreakfast。"

DuringthemealtheoldranchertalkedtoBillandGuyabouttheday’sorderofwork;andfromthisJeangatheredanideaofwhatabigcattlebusinesshisfatherconducted。AfterbreakfastJean’sbrothersmanifestedkeeninterestinthenewrifles。Thesewereunwrappedandcleanedandtakenoutfortesting。Thethreerifleswereforty—fourcalibreWinchesters，thekindofgunJeanhadfoundmosteffective。

Hetriedthemoutfirst，andtheshotshemadeweresatisfactorytohimandamazingtotheothers。BillhadusedanoldHenryrifle。

Guydidnotfavoranyparticularrifle。Therancherpinnedhisfaithtothefamousoldsingle—shotbuffalogun，mostlycalledneedlegun。

"Wal，reckonI’dbettersticktomine。Shoreyoucain’tteachanolddognewtricks。Butyouboysmaydowellwiththeforty—fours。

Pack’emonyoursaddlesan’practicewhenyouseeacoyote。"

Jeanfounditdifficult toconvincehimselfthatthisinterestingunsandmarksmanshiphadanysinisterpropulsionbackofit。Hisfatherandbrothershadalwaysbeenthisway。Rifleswereasimportanttopioneersasplows，andtheirskillfulusewasanachievementeveryfrontiersmantriedtoattain。FriendlyrivalryhadalwaysexistedamongthemembersoftheIsbelfamily:evenAnnIsbelwasagoodshot。

Butsuchproficiencyintheuseoffirearms——andlifeintheopenthatwascorrelativewithit——hadnotdominatedthemasithadJean。

BillandGuyIsbelwereborncattlemen——chipsoftheoldblock。

Jeanbegantohopethathisfather’sletterwasanexaggeration，andparticularlythatthefatalisticspeechoflastnight，"theyaregoin’tokillme，"wasjustamoodyinclinationtoseetheworstside。

Still，evenasJeantriedtopersuadehimselfofthismorehopefulview，herecalledmanyreferencestothepeculiarreputationofTexansforgun—throwing，forfeuds，fornever—endinghatreds。InOregontheIsbelshadlivedamongindustriousandpeacefulpioneersfromallovertheStates;tobesure，thelifehadbeenroughandprimitive，andtherehadbeenfightsonoccasions，thoughnoIsbelhadeverkilledaman。Butnowtheyhadbecomefixedinawilderandsparselysettledcountryamongmenoftheirownbreed。Jeanwasafraidhishopeshadonlysentimenttofosterthem。Nevertheless，beforcedbackastrange，brooding，mentalstateandresolutelyheldupthebrighterside。WhatevertheevilconditionsexistinginGrassValley，theycouldbemetwithintelligenceandcourage，withanabsolutecertaintythatitwasinevitabletheymustpassaway。Jeanrefusedtoconsidertheold，fatallawthatatcertainwildtimesandwildplacesintheWestcertainmenhadtopassawaytochangeevilconditions。

"Wal，Jean，ridearoundtherangewiththeboys，"saidtherancher。

"Meetsomeofmyneighbors，JimBlaisdell，inparticular。Takealookatthecattle。An’pickoutsomehossesforyourself。"

"I’veseenonealready，"declaredJean，quickly。Ablackwithwhiteface。I’lltakehim。"

"Shoreyouknowahoss。Tomyeyehe’smypick。Buttheboysdon’tagree。Bill’speciallyhasdegeneratedintoafancierofpitchin’

hosses。Anncanridethatblack。Youtryhimthismawnin’……

An’，son，enjoyyourself。"

Truetohisfirstimpression，JeannamedtheblackhorseWhitefaceandfellinlovewithhimbeforeeverheswungalegoverhim。

Whitefaceappearedspirited，yetgentle。Hehadbeentrainedinsteadofbeingbroken。Ofhardhitsandquirtsandspurshehadnoexperience。Helikedtodowhathisriderwantedhimtodo。

Ahundredormorehorsesgrazedinthegrassymeadow，andasJeanrodeonamongthemitwasapleasuretoseestallionsthrowheadsandearsupandwhistleorsnort。Wholetroopsofcoltsandtwo—year—oldsracedwithflyingtailsandmanes。

Beyondthesepasturesstretchedtherange，andJeansawthegray—greenexpansespeckledbythousandsofcattle。Thescenewasinspiring。

Jean’sbrothersledhimallaround，meetingsomeoftheherdersandridersemployedontheranch，oneofwhomwasaburly，grizzledmanwitheyesreddenedandnarrowedbymuchridinginwindandsunanddust。

HisnamewasEvansandhewasfatheroftheladwhomJeanhadmetnearthevillage。Evertswasbusilyskinningthecalfthathadbeenkilledbythewolves。"Seeheah，y’uJeanIsbel，"saidEverts，"itshorewasaboottimey’ucomehome。We—allheahsy’uhevaneyefertracks。

Wal，mebbey’ucankillOldGray，theloferthetdidthisjob。He’spulleddownninecalvesas’yearlin’sthislasttwomonthsthetIknowof。An’we’venothedthespringround—up。"

GrassValleywidenedtothesoutheast。Jeanwouldhavebeenbackwardaboutestimatingthesquaremilesinit。Yetitwasnotvastacreagesomuchasrichpasturethatmadeitsuchawonderfulrange。Severalrancheslayalongthewesternslopeofthissection。Jeanwasinformedthatopenparksandswales，andlittlevalleysnestlingamongthefoothills，wherevertherewaswaterandgrass，hadbeensettledbyranchers。Everysummerafewnewfamiliesventuredin。

BlaisdellstruckJeanasbeingalionliketypeofTexan，bothinhisbroad，boldface，hishugeheadwithitsupstandingtawnyhairlikeamane，andinthespeechandforcethatbetokenedthenatureofhisheart。HewasnotasoldasJean’sfather。Hehadarollingvoice，withthesamedrawlingintonationcharacteristicofallTexans，andblueeyesthatstillheldthefireofyouth。Quiteamarkedcontrasthepresentedtothelean，rangy，hard—jawed，intent—eyedmenJeanhadbeguntoacceptasTexans。

BlaisdelltooktimeforacuriousscrutinyandstudyofJean，that，frankandkindlyasitwas，andevidentlytheadjustmentofimpressionsgottenfromhearsay，yetbespoketheattentionofoneusedtojudgingmenforhimself，andinthisparticularcasehavingreasonsofhisownforsodoing。

"Wal，you’relikeyoursisterAnn，"saidBlaisdell。"Whichyoumaytakeasacompliment，youngman。Bothofyoufavoryourmother。

Butyou’reanIsbel。BackinTexastherearemenwhoneverwearagloveontheirrighthands，an’shoreIreckonifoneofthemmetupwithyousuddenhe’dthinksomegraveshadopenedan’he’dgoforhisgun。"

Blaisdell’slaughpealedoutwithdeep，pleasantroll。ThusheplantedinJean’ssensitivemindasignificantthought—provokingideaaboutthepast—and—goneIsbels。

Hisfurtherremarks，likewise，wereexceedinglyinterestingtoJean。

ThesettlingoftheTontoBasinbyTexanswasasubjectoftenindispute。HisownfatherhadbeeninthefirstpartyofadventurouspioneerswhohadtraveledupfromthesouthtocrossovertheRenoPassoftheMazatzalsintotheBasin。"NewcomersfromoutsidegetimpressionsoftheTontoaccordin’tothefirstsettlerstheymeet，"

declaredBlaisdell。"An’shoreit’smybeliefthesefirstimpressionsneverchange。justsostrongtheyare！Wal，I’veheardmyfathersaythereweremeninhiswagontrainthatgotrunoutofTexas，buthesworehewasn’toneofthem。SoIreckonthatsortoftalkheldgoodfortwentyyears，an’foralltheTexanswhoemigrated，except，ofcourse，suchnotoriousrustlersasDaggsan’menofhisilk。Shorewe’vegotsomebadmenheah。There’snolaw。Possessionusedtomeanmorethanitdoesnow。Daggsan’hisHashKnifeGanghavebeguntoholdforthwithahighhand。Nosmallranchercankeepenoughstocktopayforhislabor。"

AtthetimeofwhichBlaisdellspoketherewerenotmanysheepmenandcattlemenintheTonto，consideringitsvastarea。Butthese，onaccountoftheextremewildnessofthebrokencountry，werelimitedtothecomparativelyopenGrassValleyanditsadjacentenvirons。

Naturally，astheinhabitantsincreasedandstockraisinggrewinproportionthegrazingandwaterrightsbecamemattersofextremeimportance。SheepmenrantheirflocksupontheRiminsummertimeanddownintotheBasininwintertime。Asheepmancouldthrowafewthousandsheeproundacattleman’sranchandruinhim。Therangewasfree。Itwasasfairforsheepmentograzetheirherdsanywhereasitwasforcattlemen。Thisofcoursedidnotapplytothefewacresofcultivatedgroundthataranchercouldcallhisown;butveryfewcattlecouldhavebeenraisedonsuchlimitedarea。Blaisdellsaidthatthesheepmenwereunfairbecausetheycouldhavedonejustaswell，thoughperhapsatmorelabor，bykeepingtotheridgesandleavingtheopenvalleyandlittleflatstotheranchers。Formerlytherehadbeenroomenoughforall;nowthegrazingrangeswerebeingencroacheduponbysheepmennewlycometotheTonto。ToBlaisdell’swayofthinkingtherustlermenacewasmoreseriousthanthesheeping—offoftherange，forthesimplereasonthatnocattlemanknewexactlywhotherustlerswereandforthemorecomplexandsignificantreasonthattherustlersdidnotstealsheep。

"Texaswasoverstockedwithbadmenan’finesteers，"concludedBlaisdell。"Mostofthefirstan’someofthelasthavestrucktheTonto。Thesheepmenhavenowgotdistributin’pointsforwoolan’

sheepatMaricopaan’Phoenix。They’reshorewaxin’strongan’bold。"

"Ahuh！……An’what’slikelytocomeofthismess？"queriedJean。

"Askyourdad，"repliedBlaisdell。

"Iwill。ButIreckonI’dbeobligedforyouropinion。"

"Wal，shortan’sweetit’sthis:Texascattlemenwillneverallowtherangetheystockedtobeoverrunbysheepmen。"

"Who’sthismanGreaves？"wentonJean。"Neverrunintoanyonelikehim。"

"Greavesishardtofigure。He’sasnakycustomerindeals。Butheseemstobegoodtothepoorpeople’roundheah。Sayshe’sfromMissouri。Ha—ha！He’sasmuchTexanasIam。HerodeintotheTontowithoutevenapacktohisname。An’presentlyhebuildshisstonehousean’freightssuppliesinfromPhoenix。Appearstobuyan’sellagooddealofstock。Forawhileitlookedlikehewassteerin’amiddlecoursebetweencattlemenan’sheepmen。Bothsidesmadearendezvousofhisstore，whereheheardthegrievancesofeach。

Laterlyhe’sleanin’tothesheepmen。Nobodyhasaccusedhimofthatyet。Butit’stimesomecattlemancalledhisbluff。"

"Ofcoursetherearehonestan’squaresheepmenintheBasin？"

queriedJean。

"Yes，an’someofthemarenotunreasonable。Butthenewfellowsthatdroppedinonusthelastfewyear——they’retheoneswe’regoin’toclashwith。"

"This——sheepman，Jorth？"wentonJean，inslowhesitation，asifcompelledtoaskwhathewouldrathernotlearn。

"Jorthmustbetheleaderofthissheepfactionthat’sharryin’usranchers。Hedoesn’tmakethreatsorroararoundlikesomeofthem。

Buthegoesonraisin’an’buyin’morean’moresheep。An’hisherdershavebeengrazin’downallaroundusthiswinter。Jorth’sgottobereckonedwith。"

"Whoishe？"

"Wal，Idon’tknowenoughtotalkaboot。Yourdadneversaidso，butIthinkhean’JorthkneweachotherinTexasyearsago。IneversawJorthbutonce。ThatwasinGreaves’sbarroom。Yourdadan’Jorthmetthatdayforthefirsttimeinthiscountry。Wal，I’venotknownmenfornothin’。Theyjuststoodstiffan’lookedateachother。

Yourdadwasaboottodraw。ButJorthmadenosigntothrowagun。

Jeansawthegrowingandweavingandthickeningthreadsofatanglethathadalreadyinvolvedhim。Andthesuddenpangofregrethesustainedwasnotwhollybecauseofsympathieswithhisownpeople。

"TheotherdaybackupinthewoodsontheRimIranintoasheepmanwhosaidhisnamewasColter。Whoishe？

"Colter？Shorehe’sanewone。What’dhelooklike？"

JeandescribedColterwithareadinessthatspokevolumesforthevividnessofhisimpressions。

"Idon’tknowhim，"repliedBlaisdell。"Butthatonlygoestoprovemycontention——anyfellowrunnin’wildinthewoodscansayhe’sasheepman。"

"Coltersurprisedmebycallin’mebymyname，"continuedJean。

"Ourlittletalkwasn’texactlyfriendly。Hesaidalotaboutmybein’sentfortorunsheepherdersoutofthecountry。"

"Shorethat’sallover，"repliedBlaisdell，seriously。"You’reamarkedmanalready。"

"Whatstartedsuchrumor？"

"Shoreyoucain’tproveitbyme。Butit’snottakenasrumor。

It’sgottothesheepmenashardasbullets。"

"Ahuh！ThataccuntsforColter’sseemin’alittlesoreunderthecollar。Well，hesaidtheyweregoin’torunsheepoverGrassValley，an’formetotakethathunchtomydad。"

Blaisdellhadhischairtiltedbackandhisheavybootsagainstapostoftheporch。Downhethumped。Hisneckcordedwithasuddenrushofbloodandhiseyeschangedtobluefire。

"Thehellhedid！"heejaculated，infuriousamaze。

Jeangaugedthebrooding，ranklinghurtofthisoldcattlemanbyhissuddenbreakfromthecool，easyTexanmanner。Blaisdellcursedunderhisbreath，swunghisarmsviolently，asiftothrowalastdoubtorhopeaside，andthenrelapsedtohisformerstate。HelaidabrownhandonJean’sknee。

"TwoyearsagoIcalledthecards，"hesaid，quietly。"ItmeansaGrassValleywar。"

NotuntillatethatafternoondidJean’sfatherbroachthesubjectuppermostinhismind。ThenatanopportunemomenthedrewJeanawayintothecedarsoutofsight。

"Son，Ishorehatetomakeyourhome—comin’unhappy，"hesaid，withevidenceofagitation，"butsohelpmeGodIhavetodoit！"

"Dad，youcalledmeProdigal，an’Ireckonyouwereright。I’veshirkedmydutytoyou。I’mreadynowtomakeupforit，"repliedJean，feelingly。

"Wal，wal，shorethatsfine—spoken，myboy……Let’ssetdownheahan’havealongtalk。Firstoff，whatdidJimBlaisdelltellyou？"

BrieflyJeanoutlinedtheneighborrancher’sconversation。ThenJeanrecountedhisexperiencewithColterandconcludedwithBlaisdell’sreceptionofthesheepman’sthreat。IfJeanexpectedtoseehisfatherriseuplikealioninhiswrathhemadeahugemistake。ThisnewsofColterandhistalkneverstruckevenasparkfromGastonIsbel。

"Wal，"hebegan，thoughtfully，"reckonthereareonlytwopointsinJim’stalkIneedtouchon。There’sshoregoin’tobeaGrassValleywar。An’Jim’sideaofthecauseofitseemstobeprettymuchthesameasthatofalltheothercattlemen。It’llgodownablackblotonthehistorypageoftheTontoBasinasawarbetweenrivalsheepmenan’cattlemen。Sameoldfightoverwateran’grass！……Jean，myson，thatiswrong。It’llnotbeawarbetweensheepmenan’cattlemen。

Butawarofhonestranchersagainstrustlersmaskin’assheep—raisers！……Mindyou，Idon’tbelittlethetroublebetweensheepmenan’

cattlemeninArizona。It’srealan’it’svitalan’it’sserious。

It’lltakelawan’ordertostraightenoutthegrazin’question。

Somedaythegovernmentwillkeepsheepoffofcattleranges……

Sogetthingsrightinyourmind，myson。Youcantrustyourdadtotelltheabsolutetruth。Inthisfightthat’llwipeoutsomeoftheIsbels——maybeallofthem——you’reonthesideofjusticean’right。

Knowin’that，amancanfightahundredtimesharderthanhewhoknowsheisaliaran’athief。"

Theoldrancherwipedhisperspiringfaceandbreathedslowlyanddeeply。Jeansensedinhimtheriseofatremendousemotionalstrain。

Wonderinglyhewatchedthekeenlinedface。Morethanmaterialworrieswereattherootofbrooding，mountingthoughtsinhisfather’seyes。

"NownexttakewhatJimsaidabootyourcomin’tochasethesesheep—herdersoutofthevalley……Jean，Istartedthattalk。

Ihadmytrickyreasons。Iknowthesegreasersheep—herdersan’

IknowtherespectTexanshaveforagunman。SomesayIbragged。

SomesayI’manoldfoolinhisdotage，ravin’abootafavoriteson。

Buttheyarepeoplewhohatemean’areafraid。True，son，Italkedwithapurpose，butshoreIwasmightycoldan’steadywhenIdidit。

Myfeelin’wasthatyou’ddowhatI’ddoifIwerethirtyyearsyounger。

No，Ireckonedyou’ddomore。ForIfiguredonyourblood。Jean，you’reIndian，an’Texasan’French，an’you’vetrainedyourselfintheOregonwoods。Whenyouwereonlyaboy，fewmarksmenIeverknewcouldbeatyou，an’Ineversawyourequalforeyean’ear，fortrackin’

ahoss，forallthegiftsthatmakeawoodsman……Wal，rememberin’

thisan’seein’thetroubleahaidfortheIsbels，IjustbrokeoutwheneverIhadachance。IbraggedbeforemenI’dreasontobelievewouldtakemywordsdeep。Forinstance，notlongagoImissedsomestock，an’，happenin’intoGreaves’splaceoneSaturdaynight，Ishoretalkedloud。Hisbarroomwasfullofmenan’someofthemwereinmyblackbook。Greavestookmytalkalittletesty。Hesaid。’Wal，Gass，mebbeyou’rerightabootsomeofthesecattlethieveslivin’amongus，butain’ttheyjestasliabletobesomeofyourfriendsorrelativesasTedMeeker’sormineoranyonearoundheah？’ThatwaswhereGreavesan’mefellout。Iyelledathim:’No，byGod，they’renot！

Myrecordheahan’thatofmypeopleisopen。TheleastIcansayforyou，Greaves，an’yourcrowd，isthatyourrecordsfadeawayondimtrails。’Thenhesaid，nasty—like，’Wal，ifyoucouldworkoutallthedimtrailsintheTontoyou’dshorebesurprised。’An’thenIroared。ShorethatwasthechanceIwaslookin’for。Isworethetrailshehintedofwouldbetrackedtotheholesoftherustlerswhomadethem。ItoldhimIhadsentforyouan’whenyougotheahtheseslippery，mysteriousthieves，whoevertheywere，wouldshorehavehelltopay。Greavessaidhehopedso，buthewasafraidIwaspartialtomyIndianson。Thenwehadhotwords。Blaisdellgotbetweenus。

WhenIwasleavin’Itookapartin’flingathim。’Greaves，yououghttoknowtheIsbels，considerin’you’refromTexas。Maybeyou’vegotreasonsforthrowin’tauntsatmyclaimsformysonJean。Yes，he’sgotIndianinhiman’that’llbetheworseforthemenwhowillhavetomeethim。I’mtellin’you，Greaves，JeanIsbelistheblacksheepofthefamily。Ifyouridedownhisrecordyou’llfindhe’sshoreinlinetobeanotherPoggin，orReddyKingfisher，orHardin’，oranyoftheTexasgunmenyououghttoremember……Greaves，therearemenrubbin’elbowswithyourightheahthatmyIndiansonisgoin’totrackdown！’"

JeanbenthisheadinstunnedcognizanceofthenotorietywithwhichhisfatherhadchosentoaffrontanyandallTontoBasinmenwhowereunderthebanofhissuspicion。Whataterriblereputationandtrusttohavesaddleduponhim！Thrillsandstrange，heatedsensationsseemedtorushtogetherinsideJean，formingahotballoffirethatthreatenedtoexplode。Aretreatingselfmadefeebleprotests。